


Sounds Perfect

by undertakenheart



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-01 13:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4021594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undertakenheart/pseuds/undertakenheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A primer to the spirit world would've been great.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Enter

“Sounds perfect.”

It was like an exhale. The perfect end to a terrifying day. With the thrills making her body quiver, she accepted Korra’s proposal to meet again by the crater of the newly made spirit portal.

Stepping into her home was difficult. She’d recently displayed the family portraits again after the talk with her father a few weeks ago. She rested her gloved hand around the frame and touched her forehead to the glass.

A tear slid down her cheek and she felt her face get warm. With a bite of her lip, she forced herself to look up. Her father, mother and herself as the picture perfect family ten years ago.

Asami struggled to regain her composure. She’s grieved enough for today. Tonight was going to be for her to rebuild. She’s lost one family member. Maybe tonight she can gain a new one.

The excitement was back. She was happy for what was. With a tearful smile, she went to her room to pack a spare change of clothes, a camera, and a journal.

She wondered if she was the first tourist to the spirit world.

***

The spirits added their own colors to the night sky. After such a long fight, she couldn’t imagine a more beautiful consequence. A content sigh passed her lips when she heard the crunch of boots on dirt.

Korra had always thought she was beautiful. She even recalled when she’d used it as an insult when she was dating Mako. Now, she was the most captivating sight. The ethereal light from the spirit portal only made it harder to look away.

Together, they approached the calming warmth. They weren’t completely bathed in the portal’s energy, yet it felt like they were already floating.

Blue eyes met emerald and she couldn’t resist any more. Her hand reached out and Asami’s was ready.

All of the beauty in the world couldn’t distract her from Asami’s smile.

Stepping into the portal was meditative. Republic City and the spirits faded away. For moments, it was only Korra and Asami, their hands still refusing to let go.

Asami’s smile turned sad. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

‘Asami?’ The words didn’t leave her lips but echoed around them nonetheless.

Korra stepped closer and went to wipe the tears away. As she touched them, they sparkled away into the blue light...and so did Asami.

Asami’s eyes followed the glittering trail of where her cheek went. Fearful eyes met Korra’s. The spirit portal seemed to magnify her panic. Her cheeks, her lips, her hair, her body, and finally, her eyes.

The blues and purples of spirit energy dissipated into a forest of purple trees and green lakes.

Korra was alone.

***

“Korra!”

The grass was pink and the sky was yellow. She could only hope she was in the spirit world.

In the distance, she could see what appeared to be a black cabin. With no other leads, she approached the structure, hoping she could find spirits that could help.

It was pitch black inside. She kept the door open as she went deeper. There was furniture that seemed to be connected to the walls. A tree that grew into a fully furnished cabin.

If she hadn’t been separated from Korra, she probably would’ve gotten a talk about how things were like in the spirit world.

There weren’t any spirits inside. The cabin, although dark, was very small. A glance outside only greeted her with the pink grass that seemed to span for miles.

It didn’t look like she’d get the relaxing vacation she was hoping for. She made her way to the door, building up her confidence for what was sure to be a long walk, when she tripped on a root.

Asami pushed herself up to her knees when she felt something snaking its way up her leg. When she grabbed at it, it climbed up her arm and pulled her up to the ceiling.

She dug her fingers in between it and her neck and tried to pry herself free. It climbed up to her face and began covering her eyes. She could feel herself hyperventilating.

“Korra!”

***

‘Korra!’

“Asami!” Korra charged in the direction she was sure she’d heard her voice. Purple and black vines got thicker as she ventured further. Her run became a walk, curtains of vines obstructing her path. She planned on ripping through them to make a path when she realized what she was about to do.

She tried to settle down. Her emotions were making her restless. Upsetting the spirits wasn’t going to help her find Asami.  
Korra softened her grip and let her spirit sense go through the vines, weave through the trees, comb through the grass as it went from purple to pink. A black cabin, like a smudge on a painting opened up and Korra saw familiar black hair dangling.  
With her heart threatening to pound through her chest, she followed the trail.

This wasn’t a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> internalorganexplosion.tumblr.com


	2. The Void

“You’re the one thing I look back on that makes me smile.”

Her eyes snapped open and her vision was clouded with fog. She peeled herself off of the dirt floor. Her back was stiff and the pain made it tempting to lie back down.

A shiver shook her as she climbed to her feet. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked through the fog for the speaker of the voice.

Asami could make out dark shadows in the distance, stretching and twisting before fading away when she drew closer. It was like the landscape in the distance was contorting before her eyes.

“What is this place?” Fog swirled in front of her and began taking the shape of a man. An elderly man. Glasses, prison attire, and finally the same expression he had during her visit.

“Dad?”

“I’m so proud of you.” The fog took him away as quickly as he’d appeared.

‘Could he be here?’ She gripped the front of her coat, a poor attempt to ground herself.

Thinking about her dad was probably what got her into this mess. She’d assumed she was ready to put her losses behind her for this trip. It was a chance to escape it all. A chance to envelope herself in the beauty of the spirit world. A chance to experience it with Korra.

“That’s who I need to focus on. I need to find her.”

She walked aimlessly through the field. Occasionally, she heard whispers. Millions of conversations were taking place around her.

There were sporadic gaps in the fog, the vague outlines of other people. Some of them moved, others didn’t. A few walked across her path but she kept moving forward. There had to be an end to this place.

One outline took form. Dark skin, short hair, water tribe attire. In her excitement, she stumbled closer. The closer she got, the more details filled in. The definition in her arms, the animal skin skirt.

“Korra…?” The figure turned slightly to acknowledge her. Asami was close enough to touch her shoulder. Her skin was warm and she allowed herself to believe she wasn’t alone. She turned her around and was met with an empty gaze. Her eyes were missing. Her dark skin turned gray and she dissolved through Asami’s fingers into the endless fog.

Sweat dampened her hairline. She felt like she was losing herself.

*** 

The black cabin finally came into view. It felt like she’d ran for miles in the pink grass. Korra was beginning to hate the color.

She ventured into the dark cabin. Black vines cluttered the floor, stretched to the walls and clustered into a pillar dangling from the ceiling.

She reached up to touch the pillar and felt the silkiness of what had to be Asami’s hair.

Korra took up a solid stance and twisted the residual spirit energy around the black vines. Asami’s body slipped through the opening. Korra broke her fall and cradled her head to her chest.

“Asami?” She delicately brushed her ebony locks out of her face. Korra pressed her ear close to her nose and was comforted by the sound of her breathing. She felt for a pulse and could feel blood pumping through her body. ‘What’s wrong with her?’

Korra called her name again. She pried her eyelids open and nearly dropped her body in shock. She was only met with the whites of Asami’s eyes. Her pupils were gone.

Her heart bottomed out. The warm body in her arms couldn’t hide the fact that Asami herself wasn’t there. She pressed her face into Asami’s neck and felt herself shaking.

 ***

She kept herself focused on her footsteps. One foot in front of the other. She couldn’t make out anything in the fog but she had to keep moving. There had to be an end to this nightmare.

Familiar voices whispered to her. It was a small heartbreak whenever she heard her father.

Maybe she wasn’t ready to move past this loss. Maybe she had been too quick to try to forget what happened.

That had to be why her journey through the portal had been disrupted. When she had stepped into the spirit portal, she was so happy. It was like she was bundled in warmth and love. From the look she’d seen in Korra’s eyes, she knew that was what she felt too.

Almost three years of these feelings building up, it had finally culminated to that moment. She’d always cared for Korra, admired her even. She was the one person she could trust to fix everything. Being the Avatar probably contributed to that but it was also just how Korra was. Always willing to help, sometimes even putting others in front of her own needs.

‘And she’s funny.’ Korra probably brought more joyful tears to her eyes than anyone else could.

Even if she wasn’t the Avatar, and was just a waterbender, Asami knew she would still be the most powerful person in the world. She rarely saw her in the Avatar state. When Korra stopped the mecha giant with ice walls, it was just her strength.

The rest of the memory clouded her mind and her smile began to lose its warmth.

Korra had stopped the mecha giant for them to cut a hole through. An opening that would put an end to the distruction of their beloved city. Asami piloted the hummingbird suit and her father cut out the opening.

Then the ice began falling.

“We have to go now!” Her words from a few weeks ago cut through the fog. Asami wasn’t sure she could face what it wanted to show her next.

She pushed herself to continue moving forward. ‘There has to be an end.’

“Almost there! _Almost_ there!” Her father’s voice followed, the panic was almost palpable.

‘Please, don’t show me.’

A wind blew through the fog and revealed cliffs along the sides. Hope thrummed through her veins. She broke into a sprint, ready to climb herself out.

A mangled figure materialized on the ground in front of her. It was the hummingbird suit, or at least what was left of it. Her eyes began to sting and she bit her lip, trying to keep herself together. Beyond the hummingbird suit was the cliff.

‘It’s just in my mind.’ She continued forward, her hope dissolving into trepidation. She struggled to keep her eyes on the jagged wall. She walked around the broken machine and latched onto the cliff side.

“Goodbye Asami, I love you.”

Her cheeks grew damp. She rested her head on the surface in front of her and felt her shoulders shake. Asami loved him too. He’d been the sole proprietor of her love for years and he’d lost it when he was playing his role in an attempted spiritual genocide.

Her father had also won her love back when he saved the city and the rest of the earth kingdom with his sacrifice. It was then that she knew.

She wiped the tears from her eyes.

“My father isn’t here.”

The whispers were silenced. A glance behind her showed that the hummingbird suit was no longer there.

Relief. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your kudos! This is my first story in years (1st on Ao3) so please feel free to let me know what you think.
> 
> internalorganexplosion.tumblr.com


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